The Tale of the Mermaid
by J. K. Rowling
Summary: A mermaid. Rainbow cats. Harry Potter. Voldermort. A very mythical tale, in the time in the middle of the third year. This is my first story, so work with me here!
1. Chapter One- The Myth of the Mermaid

The Tale of The Mermaid

Author's Note: My first Harry Potter fanfic! I hope you like it! Also, I am a maaaajor Draco fan! And, this was during the middle of the third year...

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Chapter One- The Myth of the Mermaid

Harry Potter woke up, his scar burning harder ever than before. He grabbed his glasses, and got up. He looked out his window. He took out a match, and lit a lamp. It was raining hard, and lighting was going against the sky. The pong had big waves washing upon the school. Harry jumped when he saw the size of the waves. He gazes out, as they swished back and forth. Suddenly, the waves swirled into a cylinder shape. Harry moved closer to the window. He couldn't see it well, so he blew out the light coming from the candle. The waves got higher, and then went back down. Then a giant wave went up, and swirled around. The water all came down to have a figure sitting on a rock. Harry squinted his eyes, trying to see who it was. The clouds parted above the figure. Bright sunlight shown above the figure. She looked toward the sky, and then looked toward Harry. 

Harry looked back at the figure. They jumped up, and fell back into the water. It seemed to be a fin to the person, but it wasn't a fish...Harry kept looking to see if anything would happen. The storm continued, and the clouds moved back together. Harry jumped off his bed, and ran downstairs to the main room. He already saw Hermione and Ron playing a game of Wizard Chess. "I just saw the weirdest thing-" Harry was broken off when Ron yelled 'check-mate'. Harry continued. "I just saw a person outside on the lake-" "On _that _lake? Are you sure they would be able to get near it?", interrupted Ron. "Ron, maybe if you'd stop talking, Harry can say what he say! What was it, Harry?", asked Hermione Granger. Harry told them about the person with the fins, and about the water. 

"Obviously, Harry, what you saw was a mermaid", said Hermione is a matter-of-fact-tone. "Right mermaids- that's as possible as you seeing this move!", said Ron, moving one of Hermione's pieces, making her growl. "Harry, why don't you try researching on mermaids?", said Hermione, moving one of her pieces. Ron scoffed. "Harry isn't trying to do a report, Hermione, he just wants to know what he saw!!", said Ron. Harry cleared his throat. "Oh sorry Harry", said Hermione. She moved a piece. "Ha. I win _again_", said Hermione, smirking. Ron sneered, and got up. 

The three went downstairs to eat breakfast. Oliver Wood came running over to the Gryffindor table to Harry (the only Quiddish player in the dormitory over the Christmas Holidays) if he would try practicing on the field catching a Snitch. Harry refused to after seeing the weather outside, and with the event of the Dementors being around the castle. After a lot of nagging and arguing, Wood finally left Harry alone. Harry walked along the cold corridors, looking out the windows at the gloomy weather. He walked past a door after the three familiar voices of Dumbledore, Snape, and McGonnagal:

"-I'm sure this would be a great education for the 2nd and 3rd years"

"-I'm _not_ sure about that- there all too suspicious..."

"-I know the students wouldn't realize she's a..."

"-I don't trust them. There not from around England...I've never heard of the place there from..."

"Let's be reasonable, Serveus- even if they do find her rather odd, they wouldn't be too afraid-"

BANG! The door burst open. Harry got knocked over on the floor. He had a knack for walking in on important conversations. Snape, McGonnagal, and Dumbledore stared Harry right in the face. Harry went red. "What are you doing here, Potter?", sneered Snape. Harry stammered. "I was...walking by...and...I got hit by the...door...and, uh, yea, I got hit, and I fell over". It was half the truth, but the truth. Harry got up, and walked away, slowly, with the three of them, eying him. At the end of the hall, he began running up to the dormitory. He stopped, and told the fat lady the password, and went into the main room. He saw Ron sleeping in a chair, and Hermione leaning over a book, almost nodding off. She looked at Harry, and shook her head. "It's so boring here...", she yawned.

Ron moved around. He woke up when Harry told them about escaping, and about them talking about newcomers. "I wonder who they are, and why there coming...",said Ron. He dozed off for a while. "Hermione, I want to go to the library to look up information of Mermaids...", said Harry. As soon he said this, Hermione was already heading out of the dormitory to the library. 

"Harry, do you know what this means?", said Hermione, excitingly, obviously her sleepiness wearing away. "We thought mermaids have been extinct for centuries! Were not even sure they were myths or facts! If you've seen a mermaid-" Hermione went on and on about mermaids. Her voice had drowsed off, him still thinking about what Professor McGonnagal said. '_even if they do find her rather odd, they wouldn't be too afraid..._'. Harry wondered what she meant by this.

When they reached the library, Hermione grabbed more than 10 books on Mermaids within one minute. Hermione seemed more excited about this than Harry. She opened one book that said about types of mermaids. "Hey Harry- what did the mermaid look like?", asked Hermione. Harry blushed. He didn't get a really good look at the figure. "Did you say you saw it this morning?", asked Hermione. Before Harry could answer, Hermione started reading from the book: 'The Torpedo Mermaid,-an mermaid that appears every great storm- is a mermaid which can turn into a human, and even know, by witching standards, to a witch. Each great storm, which comes in a new location every 1000 years. The mermaid lures Muggles and wizards into the depths of the ocean. Legend is she lures the first person whoever sees, to trick them going to their lair to eat them'.

Harry stared at Hermione. "Harry...was the first time she appeared?", she asked him. Harry had really not really wanting to answer. "I think so...and she looked back at me...". Hermione snapped the book closed, making a big snap. She gathered all the other books, and checked them out. They walked more slowly down the corridors back the main room. Ron was still in a deep sleep. Harry shook him awake, and he opened his eyes, wide. Harry told him about what happened, and Ron looked un impressed. "You woke me up...to tell me...about some fish...you saw on a rock?!?", said Ron. "It was a _mermaid _Ron!!", said Hermione. Ron shook his head, and tried to go back to sleep. 


	2. Chapter Two- The Inspectors

The Tale of the Mermaid  
  
Author's Note: If you are wondering about how someone could have purple hair, ask Wafflecat...anyway, I hope you like chapter two. I am less careful about how peeps think in this one...Oh yea- I AM NOT COPYING "HEY, ARNOLD!"...  
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Chapter Two- The Arrival of the Inspectors  
  
Harry stirred in his sleep. "?????????????????????????????", said a voice in his head. Harry heard the voice echoing. "?????????????????????????????????????????". Harry shot up, his head covered in cold sweat. He breathed deeply, still trying to get a focus on what was going on. He put on his glasses, and was about to jump out of his poster bed, but heard noise downstairs. He put on his robes, and walked down the marble stairs. The sound got louder. He pushed open the portrait, and jumped out of the hole. The heard a people talking in the great hall.   
Harry ran to the table. He didn't know so little people could make so much noise. He saw the twelve people (whom stayed over for the Christmas Holidays) were all chattering. Harry sat in a seat between Hermione and Ron. "What's everyone talking about?", he asked, putting his hand on a piece of toast. As soon as he put his hand down, Hermione slapped her hand on Harry's. Harry looked at her and shock, trying to wrench his hand away from her. He shook his hand, and said "What was that for?!?". Ron looked nervous, and Hermione looked as if she'd just seen a ghost. A scary one, anyway.  
"Harry...", said Ron, slowly. "Inspectors are coming...". Harry raised a brow, and laughed. He bit a piece out of his toast. Harry and Hermione looked at Harry as if he just said Quiddish was stupid.  
"Would you guys please stop looked at me like that?", said Harry. Hermione opened her mouth, but Ron answered: "Before I came to Hogwarts, Fred and George had told me about inspectors coming every somewhat few years. They snoop in on people, noses in on there every movement, and choose somewhat few students to take to...", he paused. "Have physiatrist therapy!!", he said, pretending to faint. Harry looked at him oddly. "If they take you over the summer, then I'm in!", said Harry.   
Dumbledore walked to the front of the table, trying to quiet everyone. "Now everyone, there'll be four guest coming to our school for- umm physiatrist therapy. They want to find troubled students, and help them out-" "Yea, into the funny farm...", said Draco, quietly. Small laughs come from the table. "I would like you to meet them", said Dumbledore. Everyone looked at the four people next to him.  
A man with short brown hair that looked very sleepy, as if he stayed up all night in till now. He mumbled something. A second man, with wavy blonde hair nudged him in his stomach. The guys red-shot eyes went open. Harry thought this guy must have been sick. He was pale, and had looked tired. In fact, Harry noticed, they both looked very pale, paler than Draco. Harry saw the third person, who also was pale. She had really bouncy locks in her very curly brown hair. She narrowed her eyes across the room.   
But that's no what really caught Harry's attention. There stood a very beautiful girl long,- purple?!?-hair. Harry leaned his chair to get a better sight of her. She had her eyes closed. She looked up at Harry. He got startled, and fell back. He landed on the back of his chair. Everyone started laughing. Soon after that, guys began yelling cat calls, and started wolf whistling.   
Hermione and Ron helped Harry get up. The girl was still looked at Harry. He looked at her green eyes. "??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????", said a rough voice through his head. He looked back at her, in awe. "I expect you all to act normal, as if they weren't there", said McGonnagal, helpfully. Everyone stared at her. "Why not trying to get a head start on it...", she mumbled. They were dismissed, and went back to their dormitories. "Did you see the way that girl looked at Harry?", said Ron, smirking. "Oh, shut-up", said Harry. "Anyway, did you notist they all looked thin and pale?". "Yea", said Hermione, rather grumpily.   
Across the halls, they saw numerous kids being followed, a even a few chased by one of the physiatrist. Neville ran by a wall, behind Harry. "Tell them to stop following me!!!", he said. The same girl with the purple hair came walking down the hall. She edged down to the end of the hall, and stood there. Ron blurted out "You guys really aren't physiatrist, are you all?". "Ron!!!", said Hermione. The girl opened her mouth in reply, but she didn't say anything.  
A beautiful velvety sound entered the hallway. It made Harry and Ron sleepy. Just then, she clasped her hands over her mouth. Harry and Ron looked up back at her as if nothing had happened. "I'm sorry...", she said, in a soft voice. "I am not used- to speaking to...", Ron looked at her, oddly. "See..."she said, sadly. "Were not physiatrist-", she was interrupted by Hermione's voice, saying "then why are you here?", sounding irritated. "Well, at least not me and the other girl...I'm not sure about the other two...", she sighed. "I'm looking for someone named...Harry Potter?", she said, slowly ,as if her first time using her tongue. Harry's throat went dry.  
He nodded. She looked at him, closely. "I've been sending message waves toward you! How come you never answered?", she said. Harry frowned. He had no clue what she was talking about. "You...must help us!!", she said. "You know...Parselmouth?", she asked. Harry nodded in fear. She smiled, and started to walk off. She stopped, took out a piece of paper, wrote something on it, and threw it at Ron head. She began walking off.  
"She didn't have to throw it!", said Hermione. Ron opened it. Harry grabbed it from him, and saw what was written on it, it big, letters. At least that's what he thought they were:   
  
"?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????Look in library"  
  
Harry couldn't read the first three lines. 'Look in the library' didn't make any sense. It did to Hermione, of coarse. "Come on! To the library!!", said Hermione. Ron shook his head. "Whenever you leave a problem to Hermione, the answer is always the library!!", he said. Harry and Ron followed Hermione down the hall.  
Dean went running down the hall, yelling "Help me!!", as the other two guys were right behind him, asking him "Where do you live? Where are you from? Are you a pure-blood? How old are you? Did your parents recently divorce? Do you have any parents? Will you talk to us?". Harry laughed. Hermione was already at the end of the hall.   
Harry and Ron ran behind her. She flew through the door, toward a section of the library, labeled "Different Cultures". She threw out several books behind her. Luckily, Harry and Ron caught the flying books before they hit the floor. Soon, she grabbed a book, and ran toward a table. She flipped through the big book she had. She snatched the paper the girl had written on from Ron. He opened his mouth to respond, but Harry stuffed a big book in his mouth.   
"Yes!! This- is- it!!", she said, excitingly pointing to the book. Ron and Harry scratched their heads. Hermione looked at them, sarcastically. "This language- that that girl wrote down- Is an Ancient Language!!". Ran pulled the book out of him mouth. "The language was used by the ancient natives on sunken continent called- Atlantis?", she said. "Muggle researchers believe that this was once a continent that had a great civilization on it- after finding artifacts with a indescribable language on it, the Muggles managed to make out an alphabet-", Hermione stopped.   
"With enough time- I can translate this!", she said. Harry looked at the book. "How long would it take?", he asked. Hermione looked at them, then smirked. "For me, maybe a couple of hours". Ron sighed. "Now we find a new language! Isn't this the best day...", he said, sarcastically.  
The three headed toward the portrait. They said the password, and entered the main room. "I wonder where she is staying tonight...not in the castle, I believe...", said Harry. Hermione sat down in a chair with the paper and the book. Five minutes later... "I have the first sentence!!!", she yelled. Ron woke up, and Harry broke his gaze from the fire. He rubbed his burning eyes. "What is it?", asked Harry. "Meet me at the lake...tomorrow evening!!", said Hermione. Ron yawned. "Why didn't she just tell us that, without us going through that trouble?", asked Ron.   
Hermione shook her head. " Meet me at the lake tomorrow evening...I will explain everything...Sorry, I don't know how to write much English, maybe this will help you", said Hermione. Ron and Harry looked at her. "I wonder why she wants us...and why did she ask for you, Harry?", she said.   
The three went to bed early. Harry looked up at the ceiling, and wondered about Atlantis. He then fell into a deep sleep...  
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Crap! You know those question marks you see? There the native language...Fanfiction.net won't let me put it on the site! SCREW THEM!!! Ah well....  
  



	3. Chapter 3- The Dream

The Tale of the Mermaid  
  
Yea, I will see "Atlantis: The Lost Empire", by Disney in June! And I didn't copy them...much...oh yea, don't feel scared because if that Catsup story...  
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Chapter 3- The Dream  
  
  
  
Harry's scar burned. He opened his eyes. He was hovering over an ocean. He looked above to see a bright, sunny sky. Then, he began being pulled underwater. He tried to swim, franticly. He swam back down to the surface. But some fore was making him go back underwater. Suddenly, Harry realized he could breathe underwater. He was forced to swim deeper into the ocean.  
He saw weird fish, and colorful plants. He looked around, when he heard a gargling behind him. He swam deeper. The gargling got louder, and sounder more like roaring. Harry looked behind him. He saw a giant shark. Harry yelled, but only bubbles came out. He swam lower, the shark sharp n his trail. Harry went through plants, fish, and rocks. Harry stopped. The shark was just behind him. Harry looked around, quickly.   
He spotted a small hole- maybe big enough for him- just maybe- but defiantly not big enough for the shark. Harry sped toward the hole in seconds. The shark had hit Harry- but it went into the hole. The sharks' head got stuck in the hole; it opened it's mouth to bite Harry, but he sped through the tunnel.  
He slowly went through the dark-lit tunnel. He went on and on. He finally soon touched a wall, and hit his head on it, hard. He swims downward, into a small area. He fell down onto a floor. He saw he saw the water in the tunnel above, which had looked like it had been blocked by something; since the fact it hadn't entered the room.  
He saw two big stone statues in each corner of the room. Everything was faded blue, but what caught Harry's eye was the big fountain that stood in the middle of the room. It had pale-blue water. The fountain slowly spat out the water.  
Harry cautionly stepped toward the fountain. He looked down at the water. It didn't even reach half-way through the base of the fountain. He slowly saw a face form, going over his reflection. Harry looked harder. The reflection soon disappeared. "Huh...," said Harry. He began to walk away.  
"Harry...," said a light voice. Harry stopped. He turned around. He slowly walked back toward the fountain. He looked at his reflection. It turned into the refection of his mother and father, James and Lily Potter.  
He opened his mouth in awe. He reached his hand down to touch the water, when his father spoke: "Harry...you've grown so much...,". "Come with us, Harry...," said his mother. Harry wanted to go with them. Suddenly, the water rushed through the fountain a beautiful- rainbow color.  
"Come with us, Harry!", said two vicious voices. They grabbed his arm, and dragged him underwater. Harry screamed. They pulled him through another dark tunnel. The tunnel got lighter and lighter. Soon, they went through a hole.   
He saw a giant room, where four people were sitting in weirdly-shaped chairs. Two were sitting on either side of the room, and in the end of the room, right in the middle- sat a huge thrown. And sitting on it was a huge man. He had a giant curl on top of his bulbous head, and a huge bone to hold it up. He had a huge golden ring pierced between his nostrils. He had big, bushy eyebrows. He slowly opened his beady-little eyes to look at Harry. He gave him a huge, grin.  
The two demons dragged Harry toward the big man. They dropped him. Harry slowly brought his head up to look at the man. He was still grinning. The man said some words in some words in a language he didn't understand. The demons picked up Harry again, and going into a secret hole that was on top of the ceiling. Harry could have swore they went miles and miles up the tunnel. After what seemed forever, they came into another room. A dungeon-like room, with a very long tunnel. Oh great , thought Harry. Another tunnel. Harry noticed the tunnel wasn't underwater. Soon, Harry fell. He was knocked out.  
Harry woke up. He was being against the cold, rocky dungeon floor. He stood up, quickly. He also noticed he was being dragged by his neck, with a choker! He tried to pull it off. He heard the demonically high voice of one of the demons. "Get up, human! Now we won't have to drag you!." He slowly violently pulled it off, and kept on walking down the tunnel. Soon, the trio came to a small area, which had a pool that help several giant sharks, like the one Harry saw earlier. He shook, and the demons cackled, ready to push him in the pool. Then he heard a loud voice...  
"Watch out...!!!." Harry was picked up into the air by two people- or that's what he thought. He was being spun deeper through the tunnel, faster than before. He was soon going in so many turns and loops in water and air, he had no idea which way he was going. He was soon being dropped from ten feet into the air onto a soft, sandy surface. Harry stood up. He looked at the two people.  
Harry looked hard. They were looking back at him, smiling. "Well, aren't you gonna say something?!?", said the "girl" with the short blonde hair. She but her hands on her hips- but she didn't have any.  
There, floating two feet above the ground, stood two mermaids. There was the short blonde-headed girl ,and the girl with the long, untidy, purple hair. The girl with the purple hair looked angrily at the blonde-headed girl. "Don't mind her," she said, in a soothing voice that reminded Harry of someone. Harry opened his mouth to speak, but then, the purple-headed girl soon said: "So, who are you?," she asked. "WHAT are you?," asked the blonde-headed girl. "Valerie- she's Mokomo." "I'm Harry...," Harry said, dusting sand off. "Potter. Harry Potter...what are you guys?," he asked. Valerie laughed. "What do you think we are? MERMAIDS!!", she said, flying around. Harry coughed. "I thought mermaids only swam...," he said. Mokomo laughed. "Your funny, for a human ,anyway." "Oh yea, I heard of humans!", Valerie said. "But...I saw a few humans here...," Harry began to say, but Valerie said: "Stupid! There not humans! Can you not see?." Harry was left, insulted, and confused.  
Harry turned around to see a big wall of rusted metal, with a big letter "A" on it. "Go ahead!!", said Valerie. "Put your hand on it!." Harry slowly put his hand on the A. Soon, the whole wall opened up, to reveal something that made Harry gasp.   
He saw a tall mountain, and many houses and many people and merpeople. Everything was bright under the sun. Harry looked up at the tall mountain, that reached beyond the clouds. Soon, Harry heard a loud rumbling sound...  
"What's that...?," asked Valerie. She took hold of Harry's hand, and flew up higher, toward the shore. Mokomo followed behind. They saw a giant machine heading there way toward the shore. Everyone below seemed to be yelling. Soon. Harry was being pulled in the air far away from the area. "We have to go! It's the-," But Valerie didn't get to finish. There was so much explosions below, Harry didn't hear anything. It seemed the sound was gone. The three were flying through the air, and soon falling. They fell into the ocean, with a sharp hit. Harry couldn't swim. He was being pushed everywhere. He soon floated to the surface. He saw Valerie and Mokomo swimming quickly farther away from the shore. He grabbed onto one of there tails, and was pulled through the ocean. He soon lost his damaged glasses, and had lost grin of their tail. He was going below the water, drowning. He soon couldn't breathe underwater. He went deeper, and deeper-  
Harry woke up, with a jolt. He was sweating, and breathing hard. He rubbed his face. His scar was burning deeply. He noticed blood coming from his forehead. The dream had seemed so real...he could feel everything...Harry reached for his glasses, but couldn't find them...  
  
  



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